Public Relation And Image Making In Public Corporations

INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The image and goodwill of an organization has become one of the cardinal objectives in modern management. Thin in became in the course of a company’s business it deals with momentous publics. These publics are like pressure group whose actions and survival or failure of the company. Therefore, on organization in expected to draw up a deliberate or planned programmer to build, maintain and sustain cardinal relationship. Rudd mutual understanding between item and its various publics, because thin wile go a long way in determining the attainment of the company’s objective. For thin reason, image making and goodwill have been termed an intangible asset which in salable. Every business organization must understand that it has to give pledge to faithful service to all its clients and customers and thin pledge epitomizes social responsibility. The measure of an organization success does not lie in buoyancy of its profit and loss account an presented in an annual general reacting more in the high dividends declared by Board of Directors. A business, whether large or small that in not responsive to its publics is a failure. A lot of business cannot thrive today without continuing public support and approval. Public relation therefore should begin with a hone reappraisal of public sentiments and public needs and an adjustment of corporate practices to suit such needs. Goodwill and business success are interrelated just as a company requires to spend money regularly on matters which will get it involved in community affairs engage in charitable activities adopt excellent services conditions for its employees and give financial support to social problems and institutions. The more a company gets involved in there third of activities, the better its image reputation and goodwill in public eyes.
Black (1993; 105) defined public Relations the art and science of achieving harmony within the environment through mutual understanding based on truth and full information.
Public Relations ham as its principle the creation of mutual understanding and cordial relationship through good and effective communication with internal and external emironment for the purpose of attaining the organization corporate objective. Every individual, corporate, corporate, social service and welfare, religious organization, political partied and ever nations seek to impress others with principle and ideals and gain favourable opinion. The success of thin depends on the merit of the course, the honest, the completeness of facts presented and whether the beliefs or ideals communicated contributed to public welfare. Public Relation involves opinion molding, it in an effort of an organization or institution to beam its image on public so as to win their understanding, acceptance and goodwill public Relations therefore strives to study the public, to find out what they want haw the policies and actions of an organization affect them, what they know or do not about the organization. In other words public relations work in Internet of the external public in general and organization in particular.
Nigeria Telecommunication limited (NITEL) external publics are all the people and organizations affected or who can affect the organizations, consumers, distributors, in this case those that live in Enugu. Since the objective of NITEL is exclusively service to human being whose behaviour is unpredictable. By any organization, which maintains cordial relationship with communities’ Good, relationship with community in which it operates is vital to any organ sating whether. Be it the military post, a retail store, a manufacturer of shoes or any of the hundred possibilities the friendly regard and good opinion of the community can materially aid in the successful running of an enterprise’’
NITEL in a federal government owned company that provides public telecommunication services in Nigeria has for some years now been at the receiving end of barrages of press and public criticisms that reduce its public support and goodwill. Public complaints here range from inability to fully provide adequate, effective and commercially efficient telecommunication services for aware rational development. Because of the mounting public and press criticisms against NITEL operating. Compelled with the inability of public relations Department, Abuja Heard quarters to coordinate and carry out effective public relation programmers so as to counter the attacks against the authority at zonal levels.
t became pertinent for the authority to established public Relations Department in each of the six zones of the country thereby decentralizing the operations of the public Relations Department, Abuja.
The public Relations Department of NITEL Was established in 1964 after the commercialization of it post and telecommunication Department as a result of the cooper Brothers Report, a consulting firm appointed to reorganize the recounting system of the Department.
Having commercialized the Department, need then arose for the establishing of a public Relations Division. Before that time any relation public relation functions were carried in which office the port was attached. On commercialization however the functions and duties of the public relations officer started to increase. As a result, an information officer from the federal ministration information was seconded to post and telecommunication to open and operate the public Relation Division. On arrival, the officer did not know what to do or even where to start in such a peculiar organization. In over to get him acquainted with the public Relations rudiment, he was sent on a visit to Switzerland and Britain in sully 1965 to see how public Relation activities were June. Back home after the visit, the information started in little way, public Relations activities in the Department. He introduced for the first time p87 Newsletter, complaint Bore and fosse Bulletin. It was then strictly a one-man office and the only know public Relation comparing carried out was the promotion of an increase in the postal rates in 1966 during the major-general Aguiyi Ron sis’s ad win iterations. In the second republic, Relation unit were extension to the state and were base at Terri denial feed quarters. More officers were recruited in the branches as information assistants as the then minister of communication truanted every state (tem Tory) to be truly represented with an increase of capos step to five. Television officer source to report to lupus ffeadquarters on professional maters but dawning distractively they were under the territorial controller. Their main duties were writing press releases, meeting very important personalities (V.I.P) at the airports and booking hotel accommodation and also to import the understanding between all sections of the public. To guide public policy in the social purpose which the Department services. To inference the development of social environment in which it was to operate. The public Relation manager was getting every thing he wanted to jinn the public Relations Division. This in why he is efficient in contrasting to corporate policy making processes by offering to management special advice on the public Relation aspect of any action or policy of the Department. There was continuous monitoring of public opinion with a view to ascertain attitudes, which exist within the corporation’s facilities. Thin made it difficult to provide efficient sew ices to its mummeries customers which resulted in deterioration in the sew ices of NITEL, there by straining the authority’s relationship with its customers Walsh (1989; 25) said that public relations is based on good character and performance it presupposes that pryorgamsation wanting to building good image, must produce good quality product or services which are recognized and appreciated by the public. Unfortunately, in the case of NITEL its service (telecommunication) the general public have never been satisfactory, hence public critical it in thin wise that the researcher choose to look into the public Relations and image making of NITEL. Territory Enugu in improving there badly and dented image.

1.2 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM
To every dispassionate observer NITEL as a government owned telecommunication sector has not been effective in serving the public communication needs. This is consequent upon the fact that Nigerians are sick and tired of the sector’s insufficient sew ice delivery with frequent tossing of public lines. Asians this background however, the public confidence reposed on the industry has been eroded. The problem now in to investigate efforts exerted by the public relation department of Across the country in redeeming and sustain the organization image with Enugu NITEL as the case study. Enugu NITEL is selected because it is among the organization strategic zones located in the country.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF STUDY
The objectives of thin study are
i To know the extent at which the Enugu NITEL public relations has gone in reducing the organization’s defended image.
ii To know the public opinion about NITEL service.
iii Thin research is also done in order to know why NITEL has experience subscription decline in recent times.

1.4 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The original intention of the researcher was to study the entire public relations and image making in merging public corporations, but the under listed factor compelled him to limit the scope of the study to Enugu NITEL. They include the following;
i time factor
ii financial constraints, and other
iii logistic problem

1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following questions are rains by the researcher
1. /s NITEL public relation living up to public relations?
2. what in the NITEL public relating during in redeeming the organization dented image?
3. /s the NITEL public relating effective in the discharge of its duty?
4. what in public opinion wrote NITEL public relation activities
5. why is NITEL frequent in tossing of public lines?

1.6 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
Two types of hypotheses are to be used by the researcher in the study. They are NITEL Hypotheses designations HO: and the atternative Hypotheses HI. The hypotheses are:
1. HO: The NITEL public relations is not effective in the discharge
of its duty.
2. HO: The NITEL public relations was effective in the discharge of
its duty.
3. HO: The NITEL public relations are not making effort in reducing
the organization’s dented image.
4. HI: The NITEL public relations is making effort in sustain the
organizations dented image.
5. HO: NITEL public relation is not living up to public expectation.
6. HI: NITEL public relation is living up to public expectation.
7. HO: Public opinion about NITEL public relations is not favorers.
8. HI: public opinion about NITEL public relation is favorable.

1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The study will enable the researcher examine or assess correctly the participating of the public relation Department of NITEL Enugu in improving the corporation image. The researcher was primarily alt reacted to thin problem because of public indignation about the activities of NITEL and also to felid out whether the public relations are bent on carrying out its functions to enable the public benefit from their service.
Some profit-oriented organization relies on NITEL service for efficiency and maximization of profit. Health industry also benefit from NITEL to attend to emergencies and casualties security outfits like the police also rely on NITEL for prompt response to rob berry, violence, demonstrations and riots. Even the entire public benefit from NITEL to report fire out break, accident and vandalisation of public utilities and properties.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
The terms used by the researcher have both their conceptacle are operation meaning. The terms are public Relations, Image Making and public corporation.
Conceptually, according to the long man Dictionary of cotemporary English.
1. Public Reflection: mean the work of explaining to the public what an organization does, so that they will understand it and approve of it.
2. Image Making: Mean the establishment of correct impression of an organization, its policy, products and service.
OPERATIONALLY
1. Public Relations: Grinning and Hunt (1984) defined public relation activity as the management of communication between an organization and its publics.
2. public corporation: Innocent Agbo (1995) defines public corporation as a state owned commercial enterprise setup to provide essential goods and services to the public-e.g. NEPA and FRCN.
3. Image Making According to Sam Black (1989) image making in the establishment of a correct impression of an organization, its policy, products and services.